The idea behind this blog is to educate/help/enlighten and not to create controversy or to incite. The opinions and views expressed on this blog are purely personal. Please be soft in your language, respect Copyrights and provide credits/links wherever possible.The blog team indemnifies itself of any legal issues that may arise out of any information/ views posted by anyone on the blog. E-mail: gavinivn@gmail.com

Saturday, February 27, 2010

THE RELEVANT PARAS IN RAIL BUDGET SPEECH (24.2.10) ON ESM/AF PERSONNEL IS POSTED BELOW FOR THE INFORMATION OF ALL VETERAN BROTHERS:-
=========================================
RAILWAY BUDGET 2010-11

"As a mark of respect to the contribution of the Armed forces personnel in defending the borders of our country the Indian Railways will run special trains titled as ‘Janmabhoomi’ between Ahmadabad and Udhampur every week linking Jodhpur, Phalodi, Lalgarh, Biradhwal, Pilibanga, Mahajan, Suratgarh, Hanumangarh, Bhatinda, Faridkot, Firozpur, Jalandher, Chakki bank, Samba, Bari Brahman, Jammu-Tawi and Udhampur. "

The Minister of Railways, Kumari Mamata Banerjee today announced that her Ministry will follow a twin strategy of adopting the highest level of technology and pressing into force well-trained manpower, as emphasized in Vision 2020 for safety and security. Presenting the Railway Budget for 2010-11 in Parliament, the Minister said that safety and security never sleeps and zero tolerance for accidents is our vision and mission. She said 17,000 trains run everyday carrying 18 million passengers over 64,015 route- kms. In such a vast operation and due to technical problems, sabotage, fog, rail roko, natural disaster and human failure, there are some unfortunate incidents of accidents. The Minister said Railways has to go in for new, cutting-edge equipment to prevent accidents. Anti-collision device (ACD) and Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) are two such devices. She said ACD has already been installed on Northern Frontier Railway and is now proposed to be extended to three more Zonal Railways. The Minister said that four projects of TPWS covering 828 route-kms for improving safety and preventing collision accidents will be implemented during the year. Railways are also developing crashworthy coaches and locomotives and will provide automatic fire and smoke detection system in 20 pairs of long-distance trains as pilot project. The Minister said that accidents at unmanned level crossings are a source of deep concern to all. Even now, there are about 17,000 unmanned level crossings. She said that manning of around 3,000 level crossings was approved in 2009-10 and a further 1,000 level crossings will be taken up next year. A special drive in this regard is being launched so that in the coming five years, all the unmanned LCs are manned, she added. Kumari Mamata Banerjee said Railways would construct more under-passes, limited height sub-ways besides Rail Over Bridges (ROBs) and Rail Under Bridges (RUBs). She said Railways will explore the possibility of using jute geo-textiles wherever the soil formation of railway track is unstable and weak.

The Minister said that law and order being a state subject, security cannot be ensured without the whole-hearted cooperation of the State Governments. She said, in fact, Railways bear 50 per cent of the cost of State Government Railway Police. (GRP). She appealed to the people not to target the Railways during any local issue and frequent rail rooks agitation. The Minister said her Ministry has to strengthen the Railway Protection Force(RPF) as an organization and to modernize RPF, full support is being given. Railways will bring a comprehensive bill for providing security to passengers. She said as security is an important area, Railways has decided to involve ex-servicemen to strengthen Railway Protection Force. Referring to security of women passengers, she said it will be improved by raising 12 companies of women RPF personnel to be named ‘Mahila Vahini’. Railway Protection Special Force(RPSF) will also be strengthened and priority will be given to women especially those belonging to minorities, SC/ST, OBC and economically backward classes. This was announced by the Minister of Railways, Kumari Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha today while presenting the Railway Budget for the year 2010-11.
(SOURCE-PIB)
=======================
THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL FROM MAJ (DR)TC RAO(retd) IS POSTED ALONGWITH COMMENTS OF AIR CMDE RAGHUBIR SINGH (RETD):-
------------------------------------
Dear Veterans,

1. 24 Feb 2010, was the golden day for Ex-servicemen, as one of our outstanding demands was accepted by Hon’ble Railway Minister and was announced in her Railway budget speech that Ex-servicemen will be absorbed in Railway protection force. I have written a letter of thanks to her which is enclosed. I had put up this request one and a half year back to the UPA Govt.

2. Our many more demands/plans for rehabilitation of Ex-servicemen are in pipe line. I am pursuing it with Defence Minister, Labour Minister, Aviation Minister, Home Minister, Sports & Youth Minister, Chief Minister of Delhi and Chairman of MCD & NDMC for the following to absorb Ex-servicemen.

I am appreciative of the way you have been putting in efforts to ameliorate the peculiar problems of the ESM community.I feel best way to utilise this vast pool of highly disciplined & motivated manpower pool would be to take advantage of their service background. With our neighbourhood becoming mukier and sinister with terror as potect weapon-ESM in younger age group can handle private security very well. But not @ Rs 3000-4000 pm with contractors taking lion's share. Perhaps it could be Coop Society under the aegis of ESM welfare org.Secondly ESM would do well in Police too through lateral entry. Public Distribution system can operate best under ESM's.

At higher level-the ESM can be involved in speedy dispensation of justice to clear the backlog in just three years.Retd general rank officers can do much better as heads of various commissions than producing dud reports even after decades. Now that exit at 20 years is comfortable- why not tap officers cadres for IAS/IPS. Mamta Banerji has been quite sympathetic to the ESM's. Wish she would have introduced free passes for them. Even now it is not too late? .